Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a powerful witch and best friend of Buffy Summers. Early History Willow Danielle Rosenburg was born to Sheila and Ira Rosenberg. Her mother is supercilious and distant. Under the influence of a demon, Sheila tried to burn her daughter at the stake for being a witch, and though she lost much of her memory of the incident, Willow did not. In her early years at high school, Willow was a shy, nerd with a light, risque sense of humor. A member of the Math, Science, and Computer clubs, she was the person to go to for tutoring help. Willow was ridiculed by her more popular classmates, including cheerleaders Cordelia Chase and Harmony Kendall. She had a hopeless crush on her lifelong friend Xander Harris, who ignored her to pursue his equally hopeless crush on Buffy Summers. Willow soon became Buffy's best friend, and upon learning that she was actually the Slayer, dedicated herself to aiding her friend in the battle against evil. The Scooby Gang Although Willow was at first useful to the Scooby Gang mostly through her computing and hacking skills, in her junior year she began to develop an interest in spells and witchcraft. She also became more assertive, leading the Scoobies in Buffy's absence. After discovering Xander kissing Cordelia, a heartbroken Willow decided to move on, starting a romantic relationship with Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne, a guitarist in the local band Dingoes Ate My Baby. She continued to date him after the revelation that he was a werewolf. Witchcraft When Jenny Calendar, a computer science teacher and technopagan who Willow admired, was murdered by Buffy's vampire boyfriend Angelus, Willow agreed to teach her classes for the rest of the year. During this time, she went through her former favorite teacher's belongings and dabbled in magic, performing the Ritual of Restoration to re-ensoul Angel. Willow continued to blossom through witchcraft and her relationship with Oz. Joining a coven with fellow magic-users Amy Madison and Michael Czajak, Willow became the victim of a witch-hunt led by the parents of Sunnydale who formed a group called Mothers Opposed to the Occult (MOO). She and Xander discovered a growing attraction for each other, despite the fact that both of them were in other relationships. While being held hostage by Spike, Willow and Xander shared a kiss, believing that they would never escape Spike alive. To their dismay, they were caught in the act by Oz and Cordelia, who had come to rescue them. Although Cordelia broke up with Xander for good, Oz and Willow eventually managed to work things out. Tired of being "old reliable", Willow aided former vengeance demon Anya Jenkins in a spell, unwittingly releasing her own vampire counterpart from an alternate universe. She was shocked to discover that her vampire counterpart exhibited homosexual tendencies, a foreshadowing to her own lesbian relationships in the future. Despite being accepted by several colleges, including Harvard, Yale, and Oxford, Willow decided to attend UC Sunnydale so that she could continue fighting the "good fight" with Buffy. Relationships Willow suffered heartbreak and came to terms with her own sexuality. Moving across town to UC Sunnydale, Willow and Buffy became roommates at Room 214 in Stevenson Hall. When Oz left town after cheating on Willow with another werewolf, a devastated Willow casted a spell to have her will done, accidentally endangering her friends' lives in the process. She joined the campus Wicca group, a disappointing experience but for the presence of serious witch Tara Maclay. After discovering each other's magic, they became friends, lovers, and later soulmates. Oz returned after gaining control over his wolf-side, with hopes of continuing his relationship with Willow. After some serious consideration, and coming out to Buffy, Willow chose Tara over Oz. Willow's power increased at a dramatic rate. Her relationship with Tara was strengthened when she discovered how Tara rose above her family's abusive lies. However, they argued when Tara voiced her concerns at how powerful Willow had become over the past few months. Shortly afterwards, Tara was "brain-sucked" by the hell-goddess Glory, left in an insane, babbling state. Ignoring Buffy's warnings, Willow armed herself for a fight and attacked Glory with knives and dark magic, managing to weaken her significantly before Buffy came to the rescue. When Buffy later went into a catatonic state, Willow magically entered her mind and freed her, assuring her that they would find a way to defeat Glory. In the final fight against Glory, Willow managed to slow her down by restoring Tara's mind, reuniting with her lover. However, Buffy was forced to sacrifice herself to save the life of her sister, Dawn. Dark Willow Willow suffered an unbearable loss and faced her own dark side. Her magical skills first peaked when she led Tara, Xander, and Anya in resurrecting Buffy. Afterwards, Willow became addicted to using magic, and her disregard for the consequences of her actions eventually drove Tara away and landed Dawn in the hospital. With Tara's departure and Dawn's injury, Willow was forced to face her problem and stopped using magic. When Tara was murdered by Warren Mears, however, a grief-stricken Willow unleashed the dark energies once more, and her vengeance reached a climax when she used magic to flay Warren alive. Willow absorbed volumes of magic as she pursued Jonathan Levinson and Andrew Wells, Warren's accomplices, turning against her friends in the process. She ultimately absorbed so much power that she was overcome by all the pain she sensed in the world. She attempted to trigger the apocalypse to end it all, but was thwarted by Xander who, out of love, refused to leave her alone, regardless of what she had done or was doing. This eventually caused Willow to break down over her actions (partially because she had absorbed power from Giles that put her back in touch with her true emotions and feelings). Rehabilitation Willow was forced to deal with her magical nature and her place in the universe after some time in England with Giles. She slowly regained control of her powers and began a relationship with Potential Slayer Kennedy. After their first kiss, Willow found herself transforming into Warren, the result of a hex placed on her by a vengeful Amy. Kennedy saved her by helping her come to terms with Tara's death and move on. Soon afterwards, Willow battled the being later known as Jasmine, and restored Angel's soul for the second time. During the fight against the First Evil, Willow was able to overcome her dark side and use her powers for good again, changing the rules for the entire Slayer line. Following this, Willow spent some time with Kennedy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the Himalayas and even astrally projecting to another plane. Willow then returned to Slayer Command and battled a rogue Amy and an army of living dead in defense of Buffy and her Slayers. During the battle, Amy tried to infect Willow with dark magic, but Willow managed to overcome it. Willow told Buffy that she and Kennedy were taking things slowly after Kennedy suffered a month-long mystical death. Kidnapped by Amy and a skinless Warren, Willow took mental refuge in a plane of elemental beings while Warren lobotomized her. When Buffy released her, Willow had already fully healed. Personality Cute and quirky, this young Wiccan is able to bring a smile to anyone's face. Although she can be a bit shy and silent at times, once she starts talking she can't seem to stop...but in a good way of course. Willow is a very caring individual, despite her lack of self confidence, she is always willing to go to the ends of the earth to help those in need. As a Wiccan, Willow must dabble in one of the most chaotic forms of magic, Arcane magic. As a result, she is constantly faced with it's horrible side-effect of corruption...However, she firmly believes that it is through this route that she can help protect others. Vital Statistics Age: 24 Height: 5' 4" Hair: Red Eyes: Green Place of Birth: Sunnydale, California Any Other Distinguishing Marks: Hair and Eyes turn black when exposed to dark magic. Family *Sheila (Mother) *Ira (Father) Skills/Weapons/Powers *Skilled and increasingly powerful practicioner of magic. *Genius-level intellect, especially in the fields of computers and robotics. *Expert computer hacker. Personal Occupation: Nil Training and Education *Sunnydale High School *UC California